Button frustrated by Coulthard crash

Jenson Button was left frustrated after a troubled Bahrain Grand Prix, from which he had to retire after a crash with David Coulthard.

Button, starting from the top ten for the first time this season, had to make an early pitstop after picking up a puncture, already losing all his chances of fighting for a points finish.

The Honda driver then made contact with Red Bull`s Coulthard when fighting at the bottom of the field, retiring on lap 20.

“It was a frustrating race for me because I had a good start and I don`t know what happened in Turn Four,” Button told ITV. “I picked up a puncture so somebody must have touched my rear tyre with their front wing or something. So that screwed my race really.

“But after I made the pitstop to change tyres the pace was really good and I think on lap three I was purple (fastest lap) so I was going really well and I was catching Coulthard at a second a lap.

“And then when I had a go at him into Turn Eight, I got a massive tow on him into the high speed chicane, and he moved over to take his racing line. Then he realised that I so close and he moved back.

“But it was too late. I was already committed. The move wasn`t at the apex, it was earlier on and the problem is that he came across in front of me and I couldn`t slow the car down quick enough. So yeah it is disappointing.”

Button crashed with Coulthard when trying to pass the Scot on lap 19. The Honda driver tried to outbreak the Red Bull racer, but Coulthard closed the door and Button was unable to avoid the contact.

His car lost the front wing and was too damaged to continue later on.

Coulthard had had a similar crash with Felipe Massa in the season-opening race in Bahrain, although Button reckons the accident was not similar.

The Briton believes Coulthard changed directions when on the braking zone, leaving him with no place to go.

“I think the problem is that he did look in his mirrors,” he said. “It was a very different accident to Felipe because there was no gap in the end for me to overtake, but the problem was that when I started to hit the brakes there was a gap.

“Then he moved across to block the corner and by then it was too late. The way I feel, and the way that we discuss in our [GPDA] meetings is that you shouldn`t move across in the braking zone and he moved, and I had nowhere to go.

“When we actually hit each other it was very late in the corner, but that was more me trying to avoid him than anything else. It wasn`t an overtaking move.”

6.4.2008   ▪ Formula One    ▪ Button, Coulthard    ▪ www.autosport.com